Beast
by love2be4gotten
Summary: The beast, or Witiko, stood hunched in front of me glowering with reddish yellow eyes. I tried to back up, but I was already against the wall. The beast cocked his head, as if enjoying the look on my face. One-shot. Character s  death.


**Hello my readers, I haven't been writing on any of my fics and I apologize, being a Junior is sucking the life out of me! I hope this short one-shot will make up for it for now. I plan to start writing more in the future, but maybe it won't happen for awhile. -_- lol, but I'll try harder!**

**Disclaimer: Owner of story not characters. :P  
**

I watch the sky for some sign, any sign, of life. Nothing. No sounds reach my ears, no movements catch my eyes, there's absolutely nothing. But maybe nothing is too strong a word, there are still buildings and cars, though long ago deserted. And there were the bodies. The dead lifeless bodies strewn everywhere carelessly. No blood, no scratches, no sign that they had been attacked. In fact there was no sign that they were even dead, it just looked as if they were sleeping. But I had learned better. This disease, this plaque, was a trick to the eyes.

From the outside those people may have been seen as ok, nothing wrong, but the inside... The inside would be eaten out as if by a parasite, which I guess this was what you could call it. A parasite that chose its victims carefully, a bacteria that could never die, at least not on its own. I had seen this happen to many cities before, and very few were immune to the sickness, me being among them. But those who were immune and survived only ended up losing their minds and either killing others or themselves.

Cannibalism became evident in survivors, but even that died quickly when _it _was around. That thing had something to do with this sickness, I knew it did. It had to. Nothing else made sense. None of this shit had happened until _it _appeared in town. And I had for some reason avoided getting snagged in it's claws and fangs while others hadn't been so lucky. But I could swear it was following me.

I cautiously looked for any indication that it was near, but there was still no sign of life. I couldn't tell if it was a good or bad thing. For one thing, it meant that I was safe, but it also meant that I was utterly alone. I continued my walk down the street, looking for more signs, a bird even, but it was hopeless. Everything was dead. And I would be too if I didn't find a new town. Sighing, I trudge towards the woods that I had once come from a couple of weeks ago when I had left the last town. This was life now, traveling town to town in search of civilization, then watching it get crushed by stupid parasites over and over again.

The sound of crunching shot into my ears and I turned my head towards the sound to see _it _watching me with intense eyes. 'Shit.' I muttered under my breath before running into the woods. I could hear _its _loud pursuit after me and I pushed myself to run faster. The low tree branches scraped and cut my exposed skin but I didn' t slow down. Even when my heart felt as if it were about to burst I kept moving._ Its _rough panting was becoming farther and farther away as I picked up the pace, but I knew it was only playing. I had seen this thing attack its victims before and if it really wanted, it could have caught me easily and shed me to pieces in a matter of seconds. What the hell did it want from me?

**Time Skip**

After a long walk in the middle of nowhere I finally found a small town. It was nice and peaceful and it reminded me of where I had grown up a long time ago. A few people gave curious glances at me as I passed by, but I was in a hurry to find whoever was in charge to stop and say hello to them. Most towns had elected governors, presidents, or mayors, but there wasn't any signs or statues indicating who ran this place. "Excuse me, are you lost?" I turned towards a pink haired girl, probably around my age. "I'm looking for the person in charge," I asked politely. The girl nodded, "then you're looking for Tsuande. She's our self-appointed leader."

She gestured for me to follow as she turned and led the way. I was more than happy to get some directions, but I was still on guard in case that thing decided to show up. "My name's Sakura by the way," she said giving me a smile. "Naruto." I returned to her. "So Naruto, what brings you to Konohagakure? This town isn't know for tourists." I shook my head, "I think it would be better if I spoke to your leader before I state my business."

She nodded understandably and stopped in front of a bar, "well you'll find Tsunade here, I guarantee it." I looked doubtful at bar, but she ushered me in, "trust me, she's here. Look for the old blond woman" I gave in and entered the bar. Taking a quick look around, I spotted Tsunade cradling a bottle of sake. 'You've got to be kidding me,' I groaned in my head.

I took a deep breath and proceed towards her, "excuse me, are you the leader of this town?" The woman, who had her eyes shut, barely opened them to slits and glared at me, "and who wants to know?" Great, not only was she a drunk, but she was also bitchy. "I've traveled across many towns and cities, and seen first hand a new epidemic that is sweeping across the lands in the form of parasites. I've come before you to warn you of the dangers this new sickness can bring upon your citizens." I spoke slowly and clearly, hoping she could interpret what I was saying in her drunken state.

"A new epidemic huh? Well I've never heard of it, and since this is such a small town, I doubt it will make it here." She waved her hand, dismissing my warning easily. I felt deja vu at her words, the same words other leaders had spoken before they fell prey to the parasites. "Listen, this disease isn't curable, and once it starts there are never survivors afterward. You need to gather your citizens into a safe place where the beast won't find you." "Beast?" She gave me a strange look, "what beast?"

I sighed in frustration, "there isn't time to explain all this to you, the time to take action is now! Please don't make the mistake others made!" Tsunade shook her head, "from what I can tell you are saying, this epidemic includes a beast and parasites. If my suspicion is correct, this is something out of my hands, but just in case I could be wrong, come by the Ryokan Hotel later today." I nodded defeated, there just was no getting to her.

**Time Skip**

As I waited for the appointed meeting time with Tsunade, I went around town greeting everyone. They were all really kind and nice, I had met some new friends, some old, some young, and even some my own age. This town was amazing! I prayed to whatever God could hear me that the parasites and the beast wouldn't make their way here, but something kept nagging at the back of my head, telling me to not get my hopes up. I shook all negative thoughts out of my head and tried to focus on all the new people I had met today. I had always had a knack for meeting new people and immediately getting along with them.

My parents had always told me that this was a blessing and I should consider my self lucky. But there was someone who had once told me that this was also a curse, 'it'll follow you for the rest of your life, and soon you'll no longer have anyone but yourself.' Who had told me this so long ago? It had been a boy, my age, but his face and voice were lost to me. Those old words disturbed me, was being social a curse? I did tend to get attached to people easily, and after losing them to the parasite, I felt devastated. And though this happened multiple times, I kept repeating the process of getting attached only to lose them again.

"Hey Naruto, what time are you suppose to go and meet Tsunade?" One of my new friends, a brunette named Kiba, asked snapping me out of my thoughts. "She said later today." I replied back. "Well it's already 5pm, she should be back in the hotel by now." Another brunette called Shikamaru yawned. I nodded, "I'll go see her now then." They waved to me as I made my way to the hotel that I had luckily noticed before I had to ask for directions.

I quickly entered and found the place empty, I was worried about how I was going to find Tsunade in here when a voice called out to me. "Over here." I turned and saw the blond woman waving me over. I followed her as she made her way to the room she was staying in, becoming more and more nervous as time went on. Would she listen to my warning? Or would she end up like everyone else?

"Tsunade about the beast and parasites, I really think-" She rose her hand to stop me, "have you seen this beast?" I nodded yes. "And the parasites, have you seen what they do to their hosts?" I nodded again. She nodded herself and thought to herself for a second before going over to a small stack of books. Pulling one out, she came back to me. "Does the parasites host's body look like this?" She held up a picture and I replied, "yes." It was exactly right.

"And the beast, did it look like this?" I marveled at the exactly likeliness of the beast and this picture. "Wow, the resemblance is quite uncanny." I murmured to myself. "I see..." Tsunade seemed troubled, "tell me, Naruto was it? Have you connected to anyone spiritually in this town?" Connected spiritually? What did that mean? She noticed my troubled look and explained, "I mean have you already spoken to a lot of people in this town, made friends with them?" Oh, that's what she meant.

"Well I've spoken to most of the people here and made friends with them too." There was a troubled look on her face again. "Is something wrong?" Her eyes were studying the picture of the beast and her lips were pursed tightly. "Naruto, this demon is called Witiko." "Witiko, what is that?" "Witiko are cannibalistic beasts usually from Native American folklore and legend. Their diets only consists of human flesh, and no matter how much they eat they are never satisfied."

"I don't understand, what about-" I started before she held up her hand to silence me. "Let me continue. Then you can ask questions." I nodded quickly. "When Witiko's hunt, they stalk their victims for long periods, and they have a sadistic streak. They prefer to terrify their victims before moving in for the kill, and when they do, they let out a loud shriek or growl to startle the victim. That way when the victim panics, they succumb to insanity, running wildly and become easy prey for the Witiko." I felt a cold chill run up my spine. "The victim's friends and family will be killed if the Witiko feels any threat of getting its meal taken away, and are supernatural beings with enormous power."

"But, what about the parasites?" I asked, wondering why they had to do with this Witiko. Tsunade shrugged, "I don't know. I've only heard about them in forms of tapeworms, but I've never heard of them infecting so many people." That didn't make me feel any better. "Well, this Witiko, how long does it stalk its victim before it attacks?" "The most I've ever heard was four days. If it's any longer, the Witiko may steal away its victim to its lair and devour it during the winter, when it hibernates." That definitely made me feel worse. "Naruto, how long exactly has this thing been following you?" I swallowed hard, "since I was ten, over nine years ago."

A scream shot rose into the air, stopping our conversation and startling us both. Strange hysterical animal noises followed after. "What was that?" Tsunade muttered, a bit of worry in her voice. I stood stiff, I had heard those noises before, but it usually didn't happen this fast. "It's here." I whispered, fear filling me. Tsunade's eyes widened as she rushed out the door. "Wait! Dont!" I stood to stop her, but she was already rushing out. If she went out there, she wasn't going to survive. If I went out there, I probably wouldn't either.

I racked my brain quickly for a plan before running after Tsunade. I couldn't believe my eyes as I looked at the once quiet peaceful town, now transformed into a madhouse. Citizens ran screaming as they clawed at their faces. I couldn't understand what they were doing until I got a closer look. There were bugs clawing their way in and out of the skin of their now bloody faces. Some laid on the floor, their faces unidentifiable as they bugs ate them away.

My stomach churned at the sight, but I didn't know what to do, hell there wasn't anything I could do! 'Run!' My brain screamed, but I felt rooted to the floor. My breath was uneven and full of fear. I forced myself to turn away and run. I tried not to pay attention to the people struggling with the bugs, or to the bodies who had lost the battle like those fighting soon would. Where was I going? Did it matter? No, it didn't. It didn't matter where I went, the same thing was going to happen again and again. I ducked into an abandoned alleyway to the end corner. Sinking down to my knees and placing my face into my hands, I couldn't stop the sobs that ripped from my throat as tears ran down my face.

Why me? Why did this have to happen to me? I had always figured that this disease would be quickly cured and the beast cured, but everyone I tried to warn ignored me and ended up dying slowly. Then, when I find someone who knew more than I did, this happened. A low growling made me flinch as I lifted my face from my hands fearfully. The beast, or Witiko, stood hunched in front of me glowering with reddish yellow eyes. I tried to back up, but I was already against the wall. The beast cocked his head, as if enjoying the look on my face.

I had never actually observed the beast, but now I realized I had been lucky. It was taller than I remembered, it's long limbs only emphasizing it's thin skeletal body and making it seem more lithe. The only fur it had was around it's head and nape, the rest was practically shaven down. The blackish blue fur was tinged in red, in which I could only guess was blood. It's long razor sharp talons gave me more chills, and it's maw was filled with sharp fangs, lips flecked with blood, long dark blue tongue hanging down made it worse.

It stalked closer, making me close my eyes. If it was going to kill me, I didn't want to see it do it. I felt it's hot breath on my face reeking of rancid meat and decay. I sensed it move a little bit away, but I refused to open my eyes. "Naruto." My eyes shot open at the sound of my name, and they only widened as a familiar raven haired male stood before me. "S-sasuke?" I managed to choke out. "Where's the ...?" I couldn't voice my question.

"Monster?" He finished smoothly. I nodded quickly, eyes darting around to find its whereabouts. And where the hell did Sasuke come from? I hadn't seen him since I was a kid. Sasuke shot me a smile, "you're looking at it." My eyes immediately returned to him, what was he talking about? "W-what do you mean?" I stammered. "I said, you're looking at it. Surprised?" I couldn't even nod, what was he saying? This had to be a joke! "If you're the monster, then that means you are the one who killed all those people." I managed to breathe out. He shrugged, "didn't I tell you it was a curse that would follow you for the rest of your life until you had only yourself?"

My memory flashed to a time when me and Sasuke had been young, sitting in our favorite tree branches talking about the future. _"I want to grow up and marry a nice girl and have kids one day," _ I had said long ago. I could still remember that sour look Sasuke had gotten on his face before he said those words. I shook my head of the memory, "what about the parasites, where did they come from?" He smirked, "you learn a lot of things when you're own, a plague of bugs of my own creation being one of them."

I opened my mouth to ask another question when he grabbed the hem of my shirt pulling me towards him, "want to know what else I learned?" I shook my head wildly no as I struggled in his grip. "I learned that leaving you behind that day and trying to forget you was useless so I came up with a resolution. If I wasn't going to have you, know one would." I pulled at his hands to make him let go, but it was like pulling against cold steel.

Sasuke continued, ignoring my desperate behavior to get away, "as I thought of how I should make you come with me, I came up with an idea to 'persuade' you. I would destroy everything and one that held on to any piece of your heart. I would tear them away from you until you were utterly alone with no one but me. And I'm sorry to say, you have no choice in the matter. You're coming with me."

"Let go!" I screamed, sounding much braver than I felt. He tightened his grip and pulled me closer, so much that he was practically choking me. "I said you had no choice." He growled, his eyes turning into that reddish yellow, teeth looking sharper. I shook my head, "you're insane! Leave me alone." Sasuke chuckled, "that old bat Tsunade told you didn't she?" "Told me what?" I growled harshly. His smirk widened, "witiko's don't stop until they get what they want. And in the end, they will sooner or later devour their chosen victim."

**And I'm stopping it here. :D Haha, I hope it was ok. I was going to do more, but I decided it would be more annoying if I ended here. So you're welcome. I had to do quite a bit of research for the witiko, and I changed and added some things to help it make sense for my story, but I hope it still counts as the same thing, lol.  
**

**I'm hoping to write more chappies for Usagi and Alternative soon, but I'm so busy! I'm gonna do my best, so please be patient with me! *Bows humbly.*  
**

**Ja Ne for now!**


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